April 23 2025

As Canadians take part in this important federal election, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is sharing responses from federal parties to issues that impact NUPGE members. The New Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Party of Canada responded outlining their views and commitments. The Conservative Party did not respond to NUPGE’s outreach.

NUPGE members across the country are actively engaged in this election as citizens in their communities —sharing facts, considering key issues, and encouraging informed participation. To support these efforts, NUPGE has put together Ballot Box Briefings, available both to members and the broader public, covering a range of important concerns.

The briefings show where each of the main national parties stand on housing, healthcare, post-secondary education, bodily autonomy, fairness for wildland firefighters, climate change, Truth and Reconciliation, and tax fairness. The union has taken a close look at party track records and provided a rating. The briefings also include suggested questions that voters can ask local candidates to help clarify party priorities. 

“Our union is non-partisan, and we take that commitment seriously,” said NUPGE President Bert Blundon. “Our goal is to provide members and the broader public with clear, reliable information as they decide the direction our country should take in this critical moment.” 

Blundon added that it’s in that spirit that the union is also sharing the responses federal parties provided to NUPGE’s brief questionnaire.

NDP, Green Party and Liberal Party responses to NUPGE’s questions 

In its responses to NUPGE’s questionnaire, the NDP’s response emphasizes the need to strengthen public services, protect jobs, and expand EI measures during this time of global economic instability. They commit to implementing a national health workforce strategy and to increasing the federal health transfer to provinces and territories. Regarding fairness for Wildland firefighters, the NDP affirms that wildland firefighters are firefighters, and calls for equal protections, benefits, and recognition for these frontline responders. On education, the NDP is committed to long-term stability for public colleges and universities, with a focus on increasing access for Indigenous students. The New Democrats also promise to improve tax fairness by restoring Budget 2024 capital gains reforms and implementing measures to stop tax avoidance.

The Green Party’s response to NUPGE’s questions affirms a commitment to expanding public services and restoring EI flexibilities to ensure fairness for all workers. They support updating the National Occupational Classification (NOC) to end discrimination faced by wildland firefighters so that these first responders are included as firefighters. On healthcare, the Greens support a national health human resources (HHR) strategy and fair pay for all health professionals. They support a dedicated federal transfer for post-secondary education and better access starting with tuition-free access for low-income and Indigenous students. The Green Party also plans to make the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes.

In response to NUPGE’s questions, the Liberal Party’s response highlights commitments to invest in public health care, child benefits, housing, and the National School Food Program. Liberals also emphasize plans to align EI to today’s workforce realities. They mention investments in wildfire response capabilities, but do not address the unequal treatment of wildland firefighters.

With regard to healthcare, the Liberal Party promises to uphold the Canada Health Act and invest in the health care workforce, including new training spaces and recruitment efforts. On post-secondary education, they highlight talent retention, support for research and accessibility, as well as youth employment and training programs.

On the issue of tax fairness, Liberals highlight a comprehensive review of the corporate tax system, along with international cooperation to ensure multinationals pay their fair share.

We also sent the NUPGE brief questionnaire to the Conservative Party of Canada and followed up multiple times, but we received no responses to our outreach.

 Read the full responses here.